The man next to me has taken a look of shock that is not comforting. The damage to the wall by the spike is pretty minimal based on the damage I can observe. The iron skin has been breached in only a few limited locations.
It takes me a few moments but I realise what is going wrong here. The spike is acting like a platform allowing for the beasts to climb onto the wall. The reason that I realise it is due to the fact that the troop leaders are now all running towards that exact location.
I could try and stop them with my spears but it won't be fast enough to actually cause them any harm. I could only have done anything with the ballista crafted. If only I had a couple more weeks. At the very least I had no need to worry about the troops as they seem to have entered into action already, fighting and pushing off the creatures that have already made their way to the spike.
I just stand there paralysed unsure as to what I can do. I have a thousand plans going on in my head, each more unlikely than the other. The only thing that manages to break me out of my trance is the man next to me.
“Captain, would you focus on holding back the troop leaders. No matter what happens they cannot be allowed to reach the spike.“, he speaks suddenly pointing at the troop leader in the east. Right now he is the closest to the spike.
“I can't do that. The damn creatures are too fast for me to actually strike them with my spear. Even thrown at its maximum speed, the spear takes too long to actually reach them.“, I admit, trying to get a good angle at the creatures. It is a futile act though, with the creatures moving faster and faster.
“Captain, right now try to strike them when they are closer to the spike. They will be slowed down among their underlings.“, he replies, as his panicked expressions begins to morph into a calmer one. “The soldiers will be able to shatter the spike as long as the only thing fighting them is the weaker ice beasts.“
“How exactly am I supposed to be doing that?“, I ask.
“Captain, wouldn't that just end up giving you a free shot at these creatures. You wouldn't even need to hit them fatally. Just making them fall of the spike will be enough.“, he replies. “That is enough to kill them.“
The man looks at me as if he is looking at an idiot. It is then that I realise that I am beginning to enter into a panic. We are nowhere near a truly hopeless situation. Grasping the next spear from the quiver I just hold it for a few moments. Throwing it in a hurry won't be worth it anyways.
I begin by cycling all of my mana into my arms. I can feel the spear grow lighter in my hands. (This is purely mental I assure you. Things made of mana weigh only as much as you believe that they should weigh.) I wait for a few moments and chuck the spear.
Launching the spears, it is not only depending on my arm strength but it is also depending on my mana to propel it. It literally flashes like a bolt as it streaks in the sky. I redirect the shot which has traveled the sky in an instant. Before I know it the spear has enter into one of the troop leaders legs.
The force of the strike is enough that it pins the creature to the ground. The water spear is durable enough that I don't need to worry about the beast biting through it anytime soon.
I don't get to relax, as the other two beasts are already slowing down changing their direction. They are channeling their mana, clearly feeling these new spears to be a threat. These spears will not be able to do as much damage as the previous ones managed to do. The enemies are prepared for it.
Well, I can't easily manage a shot like that again. The main problem with it is how much longer it takes to strengthen my arm with my vital mana. Now, I will only be able to manage a shot every thirty seconds. As I have been speaking I have been charging another spear to throw at the second one.
As I am doing this, the two icebeasts have reached the location of the trapped ice beast. Well, I can't allow them to free up that one now can I. I throw my spear aiming it at the icebeast that is now gnawing at the ice spear stuck in the creatures legs.
I almost succeed at catching it offguard too, if it were not for the third ice beast shooting a ice bolt at it from it's mouth. Picking up another spear I throw it simply. This time I am aiming at the third beast. This doesn't strike true as it hits the ground beyond them but it still manages to push the creatures into a more panicked state.
They have finally stopped trying to help their fellow. The creature is still trying to gnaw through the spear clearly trying to freeze it and shatter it. It will happen eventually but the hope for now is that it will hold for a while at least.
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This time, I begin to charge up a spear feeling my arm grow hotter. Strengthening yourself using mana like this tend to have limits. I am nowhere near my limit, but I can feel a dull throb in my arm. As my cycling completes I throw my spear.
This time I am aiming at the trapped bastard. As expected it causes the two beasts to enter into a panic as they try to blow away the spear. With this, the creatures are completely focussed on protecting their third teammate. They are not particularly smart which is why I have managed to trap the creatures for now, however flimsy it is.
“The creatures cannot abandon one of their own now.“, he speaks, almost as if he reading my mind. “Especially if they have done what I think they have done.“
“Care to elaborate on that.“, I ask the man, throwing another spear. The creature should be halfway through the spear binding it. I guess, I should switch my focus to trap another of those creatures. Not that it is likely to happen again.
“The ability of a troop leader to command his troops is something that is granted to them from their masters. They can command their troops to die and they will die.“, he speaks. “Such a control is hard to maintain though. The troop leaders can safely command only eighty such creatures.“
I have been throwing spears as the man explains. I almost get another bastard, but it is saved by its fellow at the last moment.
“The other leaders are already overburdened. They must be controlling the four troops by sharing it's command among them.“, he speaks. “That is why the creatures have been getting sloppier but that is how they managed to get an ice spike into the wall.“
“All the four troops are here, shamon and all the troop leaders.“, I scream. The pain in my arm has begun to throb even more. The trapped beast is already three fourth through the spear. I have to admit that I am starting to panic again.
“Well, you are not counting the missing leader, captain.“, he replies, his voice absurdly calm. “With it's injuries it won't be able to pull of something like the ice spike. It will be able to lead a group of soldiers to cast this magic though. Every ice beast holds the ability to control external mana. They would be able to pull of such a strong attack if it is a group. I would assume that these are at least twenty more soldier level ice beasts. Using soldiers like this is not standard strategy at all. It takes them too long to manipulate external mana like this, even if they number in the tens or hundreds.“
“Let's focus on the battle at hand before we discuss strategy. What exactly am I supposed to be doing here.“, I reply. “I am barely holding them back as it is. I won't be able to do this for very long. Even my charged spear won't catch them off guard like this.“
“Well, you do not need to do this for very long, captain. The soldiers must be already regaining control around the spike. Once they have achieved it won't take them long to break the spike.“, he replies, “we have faced attacks like this quite a few times, captain. Even if they did catch me by surprise this time. We just have to make sure that no troop leader climbs that spike and we are fine.“
“So how long will that be taking?“, I ask him.
“Well, I have know way of knowing that. From this far up I am not able to see beyond a few blobs.“ He replies.
Fuck, that was not a reply that I wanted to hear. You see, I would be able to strengthen my mana sense using my vital mana. The only problem in the process is the amount of information that I will have to process. Let's just say that it will lead to quite a few headaches.
Bracing myself I do exactly that. Already I can see every bit of vital mana of the soldiers.
They stand out like a fire in the area surrounding us. I am not able to focus on them for long. At the moment I can see all the ice mana in the region.
It stands out like a blinding mirror, making it seem like the area is flooded with light. I can already feel my head beginning to pound. Well, I force myself to focus on the soldiers. From this far it is hard to make out, but I am sure that one of the soldiers is pounding away at the Ice spike with his sword. It could also be a hammer though that doesn't matter. What matters is that they are breaking the damn thing.
Stopping my mana from cycling, I can feel my head pounding. Forcing myself to think through it, I notice the damn beasts breaking through the spear. Finally the damn troop leader is free of the spear. It is still limping so that is a good thing at least. They have already begun to make their way to the spike.
As they do so though, I can feel a plan form in my mind. Well, I check my mana first to make sure that I have enough mana to pull off what I plan. Well, I think it will be a bit less than needed, but I think that I should be able to make it work. What can I do, strengthening your body like this is pretty costly and I am not a combat mage.
Regardless, I dip both of my hands into the quiver and hold one spear in each hand. I already begin to channel my mana into my arms. Meanwhile, the creatures have been making it to the spike. Well, by the time that I am done charging the creatures have reached it.
The limping leader and one of the other leaders are holding camp, ready to deflect any shot. The last leader is now climbing the spike. Well, the key here is timing. I can't mess it up or I will be screwed.
Taking a deep breath, I wait. Shamon next to me has already entered into a panic, but I wait. Finally, the creature is in position right next to the region where the soldiers have been breaking the spike. I throw both of my spears at the creature at the same time.
Both spears fly, reaching their targets in a few moments. The first was aimed for the creature on the spike, which the creature dodges by jumping over it. the other is aimed at the spike below it. Normally, the spear would not be strong enough to really damage the spike but the soldiers have been having at it for a while. The spear is enough to push the spike to its breaking point.
The spike begins to crumble, as the troop leader falls on it. Its weight is enough to collapse the entire thing as the troop leader plummets to its death.